Hurricane Helene hits Florida as a devastating Category 4 disaster

The wait for Hurricane Helene to make landfall is over.

Residents of Florida’s Big Bend region faced landfall from a Category 4 storm late Thursday evening around midnight. Nearly a million Florida residents were without power early Friday morning.

In Tampa Bay, the storm unleashed a record-breaking storm surge, with floodwaters inundating communities from the beaches to the Shore Acres neighborhood in St. Petersburg.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect from the Florida Keys to the Panhandle.

The toll taken by Helene would be revealed as night turned to dawn.

12:49 a.m.: Helene’s property insurance consequences

Given this widespread devastation, one might expect Florida’s property insurance crisis to worsen post-Helene. But the insurance companies aren’t so sure.

Here’s why.

12:35 a.m.: A scene from the flood in St. Petersburg

Just a few blocks from Edwin Sprague’s home, the 56-year-old sat in his pickup truck at a stop sign near SE Lincoln Circle N and First St. N in St. Petersburg.

He watched as another pickup tried to drive on the flooded road just after 11 p.m
The police blocked Sprague’s usual route home. He had been out having a few drinks with friends and was heading back to a friend’s house.
Sprague watched as the other truck was forced to turn around, away from the murky brown water that had begun to creep up the driveways.
Sprague said he had never seen water this high near his home.

“I stayed out too long,” Sprague said.
After thinking about his options for about five minutes, he decided to go home. He trudged through waist-deep water in canvas shoes and khaki shorts.

As he turned the corner, his wife, Kayla, and daughter, Meredith, were standing in the driveway.

Although water had flowed into their neighbor’s house, the Spragues’ home had not been affected as of 11:30 p.m. However, the water was still rising.

“We are very lucky. We used to live in Shore Acres. “Our house was flooded from front to back by Eta and Idalia,” Kayla Sprague said. “As a result, I have post-traumatic stress disorder. I sympathize.”

—Michaela Mulligan and Lauren Peace

12:23 a.m.: Storm surge not limited to Tampa Bay

The effects of Helene are being felt throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast. A local reporter released video late Thursday night from a flooded street in Sarasota — about 200 miles south of the storm’s landfall.

12:10 a.m.: Helene almost in Georgia

The worst of Hurricane Helene ripped through the Florida panhandle in about an hour.

The National Hurricane Center reported in a midnight update that Helene’s “catastrophic winds” would soon hit southeast Georgia.

Government meteorologists urged people in the area to stay indoors even in the relative calm of the storm.

Even as the worst of the storm continued, authorities expected dangerous conditions to continue for several hours. Helene is huge.

12:01 a.m.: A summary of Thursday’s action

On Thursday, Helene left Tampa Bay with record storm surge.

In St. Petersburg, the city had to cut power to a treatment plant, meaning homes in the city’s northeast had to go without flushing toilets or showering for days.

More than a million Florida residents remained without power, including hundreds of thousands in Tampa Bay.

After strengthening throughout the day on Thursday, meteorologists expected Helene to weaken after landfall. But not before Florida’s Big Bend region — and beyond — was flooded.

You can find all of Thursday’s developments here in our ongoing updates from an eventful 24 hours.

• • •

5 things forecasters say you should know about the 2024 hurricane season.

Meteorologists are predicting an “extremely active” 2024 hurricane season. Here’s why.

Could flood insurance go up in Tampa Bay after a hurricane? A warning about Hurricane Ian

Want to know which areas in Tampa Bay are flooding? Here’s where to look.

Checklists for building all types of storm kits.